With seven seasons behind ABC police procedural The Rookie, Detective John Nolan (Nathan Fillion), who decided to pursue his dream of joining the LAPD and became the oldest rookie on the squad, is now anything but. The series first premiered in 2018 and remains among ABC’s most popular shows. Its success led to the spin-off The Rookie: Feds, which lasted just one season, and another spin-off may be on the way.
The Rookie has explored plenty of story arcs over those seven seasons, from great character growth to dangerous new villains. The cops of the LAPD have all been through a lot thanks to the numerous challenges they’ve faced, and some of the show’s best storylines have not only made for great TV, but they’ve led to the characters emerging even stronger than they were before. No matter what comes next for them, it’s sure to be just as intense, entertaining and impactful.
10
Nolan and Harper’s relationship
Season 2
Nyla Harper (Mekia Cox) was introduced in Season 2, when she became Nolan’s second training officer. Despite getting off to a rocky start—she only became a training officer for the pay bump and felt Nolan was unworthy of her time—their relationship grew over the course of the series. When Harper got in over her head during an undercover operation, Nolan was the one who improvised some undercover work of his own to save her.
Harper and Nolan didn’t exactly hit it off when they first met, but that eventually changed. They worked well together and had a great dynamic together as training officer and rookie—although Harper was a skilled cop and Nolan’s teacher, they both learned from each other and were all the better for it. It was great to watch their relationship change, and they were willing to go to great lengths for each other.
9
Wesley’s PTSD
Season 2
Wesley Evers (Shawn Ashmore) was part of The Rookie from the beginning. In Season 2 episode “Fallout,” a false missile alert led to Evers sheltering in an underground bunker with courtroom personnel and prisoners, where he was stabbed by a prisoner trying to escape. Although Wesley’s injuries were life-threatening, he survived but suffered from PTSD as a result, leading him to almost overdose. His girlfriend, Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz), remained supportive of him through his struggles.
Each character on The Rookie has had their own arcs, but Wesley’s PTSD in the aftermath of the courtroom attack was among the most interesting. Given his job as a lawyer and the fact that he was in a relationship with a cop, PTSD affected nearly every aspect of his life, and it was difficult to watch how he spiraled as a result. But it was just as satisfying to see him get through it.
8
Doug Stanton’s Racism
Season 3
After Angela Lopez (Alyssa Diaz) was promoted to detective, she was replaced by Doug Stanton (Brandon Routh) in Season 3, who then took over as training officer for Jackson West. Jackson noticed Doug frequently racially profiled people while on patrol and would refer to people of color as “bros” and “gangbangers,” and he decided to stand up to him when he seemed like he was about to use excessive force, only for Doug to turn on him.
Similar police procedurals have faced criticism for their portrayal of both police and suspects, and The Rookie chose to address the character of Doug Stanton, who became the main villain of Season 3. His racism heavily affected his work as a police officer and led to tension between him and Jackson. Doug also abused his power in alarming displays of excessive force, which were disturbing to watch, and his treatment of Jackson himself was even worse.
7
Elijah Stone’s Crimes
Seasons 4 and 5
Elijah Stone (Brandon Jay McLaren) was a cartel leader introduced in Season 4, when Wesley Evers turned to him for help finding his fiancée, Lopez, after she was kidnapped from her own wedding. In exchange, Elijah forced Wesley to work as his dirty lawyer and threatened him with the cartel if he refused to cooperate. Elijah was finally arrested, and he was last seen clearly plotting his revenge against the LAPD.
Elijah Stone was ruthless, whether he was forcing Evers to work for him or cruelly killing people, and he stuck to his principles—they just happened to be terrible ones. Similar to other arcs, Elijah’s dealt with corruption in the police force and government. And just when you think he’s gone, he comes back and stirs up more trouble, just one of the many reasons he’s one of the show’s best villains.
6
La Fiera Kidnaps Lopez
Season 3
Season 3 introduced Sandra de La Cruz (Camille Guaty), better known as La Fiera, a drug queenpin who sought revenge against Lopez after La Fiera’s son was gunned down by a rival cartel member while under the pregnant Lopez’s protection. On Lopez’s wedding day, La Fiera kidnapped both her and Jackson—Jackson was killed by a cartel member, and La Fiera planned to raise Lopez’s baby as her own. Lopez ultimately shot and killed La Fiera in the Season 4 premiere.
La Fiera consistently caused trouble for the LAPD through Season 4, and her stories are closely tied to those of other characters. Her grief as a mother was understandable, but she used it as an excuse for some truly horrible behavior. But that also made for a great story—her arc was one of the most compelling ones of Season 3 and into Season 4, and Lopez’s kidnapping was an intense, emotional story spanning multiple episodes itself.
5
Rosalind Dyer’s Murders
Season 2
Serial killer Rosalind Dyer (Annie Wersching), said to be “the most brutal serial killer in LA’s history,” was also known as Cobra Killer and first appeared in Season 2, when she agreed to reveal the location of the bodies of her victims. She was convicted of killing seven people and charged with several other murders, as well. Nolan turned to her for help in exposing the corruption of Nick Armstrong, as he was the cop who arrested her.
Rosalind was among the most memorable villains on The Rookie, and her story arc was one of its best. She was a ruthless killer with connections to many crime families, tying her to plenty of storylines and events throughout the show. But she was also fun to watch, especially when it came to her dynamic with Nolan. While additional stories featuring Rosalind would be great to see, sadly, her character’s time came to an end when Wersching died.
4
Luke Moran’s Attack on the LAPD
Season 5
In “Under Siege,” the Season 5 finale, the squad faced a series of close calls and was targeted by a group of masked assailants. Their leader was revealed to be Luke Moran (Chet Grissom), who had been arrested for elder abuse in Season 1. As Season 6 began with “Strike Bike,” the LAPD was working to figure out why they were targeted and if it was part of something bigger—just before Nolan’s wedding to Bailey.
“Under Siege” and “Strike Back” presented a thrilling end to Season 5 and start to Season 6, respectively—and the unsettling masks worn by the assailants only made the situation feel that much more tense. The episodes also featured the unexpected return of Luke Moran, although he wasn’t the mastermind behind the operation. The storyline was one of the best of The Rookie, made even more dramatic by Nolan and Bailey’s looming wedding at what was at stake.
3
Armstrong’s Betrayal
Season 2
Detective Nick Armstrong, played by Harold Perrineau, joined the police force in Season 2. He was ultimately revealed to be a dirty cop, however—he was the mole working with the Derian crime family the squad had been looking for, and he killed a fellow officer who intended to expose him. When Nolan learned the truth, he and Harper collected evidence against Armstrong and planned to expose him, while Armstrong was planting evidence in Nolan’s home to frame him.
Armstrong’s betrayal was a shocking turn of events for The Rookie—he and Nolan seemed particularly close, making the reality that much more surprising. However, the seeds for the storyline were first planted with Armstrong’s handling of the case with Rosalind, and in retrospect, it’s easy to see Armstrong for who he really was. He proved to be particularly cunning, as he was one step ahead of Nolan until the very end.
2
Chen’s Kidnapping
Season 2
After Caleb Wright (Michael Cassidy)—protégé of serial killer Rosalind Dyer—kidnapped Lucy Chen in “The Dark Side,” it was up to Nolan and the rest of the LAPD to race to find her before it was too late in “Day of Death.” They turned to serial killer Rosalind Dyer for help. The incident also took a toll on Bradford, as he blamed himself for the incident because he felt he “pushed” Chen towards Caleb.
“Day of Death” was a particularly intense episode—Chen was helpless with no way to save herself, and the situation seemed hopeless. Caleb made for a cruel, unsettling villain, and the storyline was a great way to tie in recurring favorite villain Rosalind. Chen’s kidnapping also had implications beyond “Day of Death,” and not just with Bradford’s guilt, as Chen struggled after returning to duty and showed symptoms of PTSD, including flashbacks.
1
Nolan’s Career
On Going
John Nolan began the series as, of course, a rookie. After being promoted to P2, Nolan also spent some time as union rep—he was determined to make positive changes to the department, but he butted heads with the union president. Despite obstacles to his becoming a training officer, he finally succeeded when he received a “golden ticket,” which allowed him to choose to work in any position in the LAPD.
Nolan has come a long way since the early days of The Rookie, when he felt he had something to prove, and has faced many obstacles in his time with the LAPD. He’s worked his way up the ranks, progressing from rookie to working as the union rep to becoming a training officer himself. As a training officer himself, Nolan helped the next class of LAPD rookies learn the job.
